A molding machine supports the parts of a separable mold on the faces of its platens. The platens are powered to move the mold parts toward and away from one another to close the mold and to open it. When closed, plastic is injected into the mold cavities to form a product. The product is removed when the platens pull the mold parts away from one another.
When different products are to be run from time to time on molding machine, the mold parts must be changed. In such circumstances, one mold set will be removed and another will be put in place on the platens. Often these molds are of different sizes.
In whatever event, these heavy mold parts must be mounted to the platens and located very precisely relative to one another The manipulation into place, and the bolting down of the mold parts is inconvenient, troublesome and time-consuming.
It is an object of this invention to enable the use of non-uniform mounting means conveniently sized to the respective mold part, and which can readily be mounted to a universally adaptable mounting plate by powered clamps, quickly and easily.
There have been previous devices proposed for this purpose, among them being Pace U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,405, issued Mar. 17, 1992, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for its showing of such clamps. Its objective is to allow placement of a hydraulically-powered clamp on a mold machine platen, where it will serve to hold a mold machine part at an adjusted location. The instant invention is intended to do the same, except it does so in an improved form which is easier to be locked and kept locked in a selected position.